308 barnes x bullet load
- Thread starter 2000TJ
- Start date
Mike, I hope you fare better with the Barnes bullets than most of the guys that I know have tried them including myself. I have tried them in about every caliber from .223 to .30 and I have never been able to get them to group worth nothing. I called Barnes several years ago and they said to seat the bullets @ .050 from the lands. I did and got no better results. I normally can play with most any decent bullet in a rifle that shoots good and get it to group sub MOA, but I cannot say that for Barnes. If you do get them to shoot halfway decent please post your results and load data. I would appreciate it very much. Thanks, Bill
bill, I was just wondering if you got the loads for barnes bullets from their manual? I had problems with accurracy with barnes bullets in the mid 90's. then i bought their manual and have had good luck since then. I have a 338 wm that puts 3-225XLC's into 2" at 200 yards, I have a 260 rem that puts 5-120xlc's into .75" at 100yards. my son has a 223 that puts 3-53gr xlc's into less than an inch at 100 yrds. those little 53's put deer down reliably. all three guns are savages. I also have a 98 mauser in 35 whelen that shoots the bare 225XFB to around 2.5 inches at 200yrds. I think the bigest problems I had with barnes bullets was seating too close to the lands and useing piowder charges tha were for cup and core bullets. the barnes loading manual has recomended powders for all their bullets. thats about all i shoot for big game any more. they penetrate like an ice pick and always leave a blood trail.,short one). just my observations, treeman
Yea treeman, I actually bought the Barnes manual. Mid to late 90s was when I was trying to get them to shoot for me. I have a couple of shooting pals that was working with them too. We tried the coated ones in XLC later on in several calibers and the naked bullets too. We liked the concept of solid bullets but finally gave up. Maybe we were expecting too much. Don't know. But I ended up with several almost full boxes of several calibers
and just quit on them completely. Bill
and just quit on them completely. Bill
I started reloading about 5 years ago and I thought that I had figured it all out now this. Well Barnes is sending me a reloading manual so I guess I will do what they suggest and try their load data. MikeBillmo - I gave up on the old Barnes X bullets long ago. Strongly suspect quite a few people were having trouble with them, because eventually the TSX appeared. Grudgingly I decided to try them in my .25-06... Good Grief! These things shoot pretty darned good. I've nailed a couple of mulies with them, and have shot some pretty good groups at the range with them.
Was so pleased with the .25 cal TSX bullets that I bought some 168 grain .30 cals. Have used them in a .308 Win, .30-06 and .300 WSM - with good results at the range from all three. I think Barnes has a real, lasting, winner with the TSX bullets.
2000TJ,you drive a Jeep I take it?)
Yeah - I've used Varget with 165's and 168's for years from my .308 Win. In recent years I've tried the 168 Barnes TSX in the .308, and it too works real well over Varget - a caution - work up carefully, don't just use a load worked up with cup & core bullets and expect it to work with the Barnes bullets. I ran into pressure signs more rapidly with the Barnes, but was still able to get a good, accurate 2700+ fps load with it. Look for something to work in the 42 - 45 grain range. I used Winchester cases and Federal 210 match primers.
One potential problem with the Barnes TSX is that being soft copper, they tend to foul a barrel, particularly a rough factory barrel, more rapidly than a standard gilding metal jacketed bullet. I saw this in my factory barreled .25-06, but saw very little fouling in my .308, which has a good hand-lapped Krieger barrel. Also, the .308 is a mild cartridge, generating far lower velocity than the .25-06 Rem. I don't know how much of a factor this is - but wonder if it contributes to the fouling.
Regards, Guy
Was so pleased with the .25 cal TSX bullets that I bought some 168 grain .30 cals. Have used them in a .308 Win, .30-06 and .300 WSM - with good results at the range from all three. I think Barnes has a real, lasting, winner with the TSX bullets.
2000TJ,you drive a Jeep I take it?)
Yeah - I've used Varget with 165's and 168's for years from my .308 Win. In recent years I've tried the 168 Barnes TSX in the .308, and it too works real well over Varget - a caution - work up carefully, don't just use a load worked up with cup & core bullets and expect it to work with the Barnes bullets. I ran into pressure signs more rapidly with the Barnes, but was still able to get a good, accurate 2700+ fps load with it. Look for something to work in the 42 - 45 grain range. I used Winchester cases and Federal 210 match primers.
One potential problem with the Barnes TSX is that being soft copper, they tend to foul a barrel, particularly a rough factory barrel, more rapidly than a standard gilding metal jacketed bullet. I saw this in my factory barreled .25-06, but saw very little fouling in my .308, which has a good hand-lapped Krieger barrel. Also, the .308 is a mild cartridge, generating far lower velocity than the .25-06 Rem. I don't know how much of a factor this is - but wonder if it contributes to the fouling.
Regards, Guy
M700- Yea, I have heard the new bullets are better. But, I don't think I will forget about all these partial boxes sitting here in my bullet rack long enough to ponder on ordering anything else from Barnes. NO PUN INTENDED TOWARDS YOU AT ALL. Bill
EDIT: Wonder if Barnes would buy them back since they don't shoot worth a crap. They must have realized there was a problem or they would not have made the well needed changes. Just venting
EDIT: Wonder if Barnes would buy them back since they don't shoot worth a crap. They must have realized there was a problem or they would not have made the well needed changes. Just venting
I completely understand. Want to hear an over-reaction to the bad results with the old Barnes X's?
About 8 or 9 years ago I was planning an elk hunt. Being without a suitable rifle, I bought a .300 Win mag. I'd had one years before and still had dies, brass etc. My hunting partner was very enthusiastic about Barnes bullets - so I bought the X jobs... I tried, and tried, and tried to get those things to shoot. Seating depth, powders, primers... I tried everything I could think of...
Results? Poor accuracy. Horrible barrel fouling. Poor velocity over the chronograph. I was ticked. Dumped the rest of my Barnes bullets in the trash. Literally. Then I really went overboard and sold the rifle! Eh? Yup. Was so fed up with it, I sold it rather than try other loads. My buddy who bought it has since taken it to Africa twice and nailed all sorts of critters there with it. Believe he's also shot an elk and a bear with it. :crazy: I even helped him sight it in, and work up a non-Barnes load for it. Sheesh... Went on to replace it with a 7mm Rem mag, and went back to using Nosler Partitions for a few years, with excellent results.
So yeah - I understand about the frustrations of working with a bullet that won't cooperate. It was with great reluctance that I decided to give the TSX's a try when they were introduced a few years ago - but I've got to tell you - they have worked out well for me!
Oh yeah - my first experience with Barnes bullets was with the original copper tube type 180's in another .300 magnum 20 - 25 years ago... They too proved inaccurate and fouled the barrel heavily...
So, I've tried the Barnes bullets three times, and have only been happy with the TSX's. But I am indeed happy with the TSX bullets!
Regards, Guy
About 8 or 9 years ago I was planning an elk hunt. Being without a suitable rifle, I bought a .300 Win mag. I'd had one years before and still had dies, brass etc. My hunting partner was very enthusiastic about Barnes bullets - so I bought the X jobs... I tried, and tried, and tried to get those things to shoot. Seating depth, powders, primers... I tried everything I could think of...
Results? Poor accuracy. Horrible barrel fouling. Poor velocity over the chronograph. I was ticked. Dumped the rest of my Barnes bullets in the trash. Literally. Then I really went overboard and sold the rifle! Eh? Yup. Was so fed up with it, I sold it rather than try other loads. My buddy who bought it has since taken it to Africa twice and nailed all sorts of critters there with it. Believe he's also shot an elk and a bear with it. :crazy: I even helped him sight it in, and work up a non-Barnes load for it. Sheesh... Went on to replace it with a 7mm Rem mag, and went back to using Nosler Partitions for a few years, with excellent results.
So yeah - I understand about the frustrations of working with a bullet that won't cooperate. It was with great reluctance that I decided to give the TSX's a try when they were introduced a few years ago - but I've got to tell you - they have worked out well for me!
Oh yeah - my first experience with Barnes bullets was with the original copper tube type 180's in another .300 magnum 20 - 25 years ago... They too proved inaccurate and fouled the barrel heavily...
So, I've tried the Barnes bullets three times, and have only been happy with the TSX's. But I am indeed happy with the TSX bullets!
Regards, Guy
okay update... Well I finally shot today, I'll give you the specs. Savage 11FHNS, Leupold 4.5-14x40 LR. fine duplex, Lapua brass, fed. 210 primers, 42.5 gr. H4895, 150 gr. TSX
first shots after seasoning bore were impressive to say the least!!
.02 off lands slight crimp from lee die
.237" center to center @ 100 yds. this was my first 5 shot group nearly fell off my chair
throwing them at ~2760 fps.
who knew load development could go this smooth...
first shots after seasoning bore were impressive to say the least!!
.02 off lands slight crimp from lee die
.237" center to center @ 100 yds. this was my first 5 shot group nearly fell off my chair
throwing them at ~2760 fps.
who knew load development could go this smooth...
2000TJ said:
I've tried 100gr TSXs in a .250 AI and 25-284, and 130gr TSXs in my .308, and just haven't been able to get any of them to group as well as other bullets for me. Not horrible, but not as well as others.
My .308 shot the TSXs better than my .250 AI or 25-284, but even so, the they have only averaged about an inch out of it, as compared to about 1/2 that with bullets it really likes,150gr Game Kings).
I had some concerns about TSXs not expanding rapidly enough at .308 velocities, but these were unfounded. My son shot a yearling doe this winter at 179 yards with my .308 and a 130gr TSX loaded to about 3080fps. Deer was DRT. Exit wound was only about the size of a quarter, but the internal wound channel was about the size of a tennis ball.
Just wish I could get them to group a little better...
John
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